Pages

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Green Apple Pachadi

We Malayalees have very few festivals when compared to the
rest of the country, and Onam is one of them. Like any Indian festival
there is always food involved in the celebration and we too had a modest sadhya
(feast) at home, with a couple of friends.

A few tart green apples have been sitting on my kitchen counter for over a week and when
the menu planning for the sadhya was going on, I told my husband that I might make apple pickle instead of the traditional mango pickle. He
wasn’t too thrilled about the idea because he loves the mango pickle I make. The idea was
in the back of my head when we went shopping, and to his joy, the store had fresh mangoes. With the mango safely in the shopping basket, he happily says, “Why not make both?”

Anyway, on the day of the sadhya, I was contemplating
about making a pachadi with okra when he suggested making it with the apples instead. I thought it was a brilliant idea and the result…an absolutely delicious pachadi, with crunchy apple pieces and a mild pungency of the ground mustard. Here’s what I did.

Ingredients (serves
4-6)

Chopped green apple – ¼ cup

Grated coconut – 3 tbsps

Mustard seeds – 2 tsps

Curd – 2 tbsps

Salt to taste

Method

Grind together the coconut and mustard seeds to make a smooth
paste. Remove into a bowl, add salt, and curd. Mix well to combine.

Add the chopped apples and mix.

Though I served it at room temperature for the sadhya, I realized that it actually tastes better chilled. So you could
make this ahead and enjoy with a sadhya or simply with rotis. Tastes great
either way.
Bon
Appètit.

Note: Raw mustard has a
slightly pungent taste, which some people may not savor.

About Us

We have been friends for a long time and we have done it all: bunked classes, watched movies, sleepovers, trips and more. Some friendships last only through the school or college years but looks like this one was meant to be…because we are still friends.
After having cooked for our families and friends for a few years, we had the urge to cook for others. This led to the idea of opening a restaurant called ‘Square Meals’, which would take patrons on a gastronomic journey through different parts of India. The restaurant never materialized and the next best thing was this blog.
The Square Meals blog provides taste-tested recipes for you to try in your own kitchens. Join us on our culinary journey as we share some of our mouth-watering creations with foodies all over the world.